Life
by Flames101
Summary: Rossi remembers his life with Emily; through a series of flashbacks see how they came together, as Emily's life-and ultimately their life together-hangs by a thread in present time, the result of a case gone wrong. Emily/Rossi. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello! So this story was written for the Christmas Gift Exchange that Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum was hosting this year. Specifically this story is written for **flashpenguin**.

The prompts that needed to be used were: snowstorm, mistletoe, cabin in the woods and the song, It's a Wonderful Life. I've used all 4 and they will be scattered throughout the chapters. And it is an Emily/Rossi fic.

Oh and this will be approximately 8 chapters long.

So, I hope everyone enjoys!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 1:**

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Rossi paced the little hospital waiting room, back and forth. He just couldn't stand still. He briefly stopped at the window; it barely registered with him that there was actual snow falling. It didn't matter; nothing mattered to him at the moment. His whole world was crashing around him.

There was the sound of footsteps rushing into the room behind him. And he heard the hesitant, scared voice of his former colleague, turned good friend.

"How is she?" Derek Morgan wanted to know.

Rossi glanced at his friend. He looked exactly how he felt: worried, desperate, unsure. He turned back to the window. There were a lot of things he could take in this world, but this, this was too much, and he did not need to see it reflected back at him.

"Rossi man, is she all right?" Morgan asked again, more frantic.

Rossi continued to stare out the window seeing that the sow was starting to come down harder. _Snowstorm?_ he thought.

"Dave," a new voice. He hadn't heard the new set of footsteps.

This time he turned to face his long time, old friend.

"Dave, what's going on, how is she?" Hotch asked concernedly.

Rossi stared at his old friend and his new friend. Both wore identical looks of pity. And it suddenly hit him; things were definitely not good if he was being pitied.

"I… I don't know," Rossi murmured. He suddenly had to sit down. He all but dropped into the nearest chair. "She's in surgery… the doctor's haven't been out to say anything… yet."

"Rossi, I'm so sorry," Morgan proclaimed.

He looked up at the younger man. Derek Morgan, acting Unit Chief of the Behavioural Analysis Unit, the unit he'd re-retired from after he'd realized he'd loved her. At the time the BAU was still under the direction of Aaron Hotchner. But his long time friend had stepped aside for a year's sabbatical to spend time with his new family: Jennifer Jareau, Jack, Henry, and ten month old, baby girl Lexi. He was very happy for Hotch.

"Rossi?" Morgan prompted.

"What happened, Derek?" Rossi questioned, his voice coming out harsh. "How did Emily get separated from you? Why was she alone when she confronted a sociopath killer? You're her best friend Derek, how could you let her get shot six times! How?"

"Dave," Hotch said sternly. "You need to calm down—"

"Calm down? My wife is in an operating room fighting for her life!" Rossi shouted. "I don't want to calm down. I want answers. I need answers!"

Hotch continued to nod calmly. "We know, Morgan knows. Answers will come. But right now Emily, your wife, our friend, is fighting for her life. Answers don't matter right now, _she does_. We need to focus all our energy on her. We need to sit here and remember everything good about her. You need to keep in mind everything you love about her," Hotch paused, taking a breath. "Can you do that Dave; can you remember everything you love about Emily?"

A flash of her smile came instantly to his mind. He always loved how her smile was never half done. It always shone, like a hundred watt bulb. It lit up his world when it was turned his way.

"That's good Dave," Hotch said sincerely. "Hold onto those memories…"

Dave frowned, finishing the sentence in his mind: Hold onto those memories… because they might be all you have left.

So he remembered…

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Rossi walked into the bull pen early that morning, seeing the beginnings of a long work day ahead. People, agents, were already milling about, exchanging files, typing frantically into computers, already hard at work; ready to catch the bad guys. There was an energy in the room, a buzz, one that he wasn't even immune to. But there was one person who did seem to be immune.

He had to chuckle at his colleague and good friend Emily Prentiss. She was slumped forward in her chair, head resting on her arms, on her desktop. He briefly wondered if she'd fallen asleep, but then instantly knew better than that. She was not the kind to fall asleep on the job, take a bit of a break, yes, but not fall asleep. He knew this was all because she was not a Monday person.

David Rossi was suddenly in a bit of a mood, a happy mood. He wasn't as bad as Emily, but he was no Monday morning type of person either. So why was he suddenly so chipper? He continued to stare in Emily's direction, still using her desk as a makeshift bed/pillow. He noticed that everyone was skirting around her, and he also remembered that Emily did not like being disturbed when she was in her Monday morning funks. So, of course, what did he do? He disturbed her.

"Good Morning Emily," he said, putting some extra cheer into his voice.

"Ugh…" Emily grunted in return. "Good for whom?"

He was about to laugh when she quickly lifted her head and pierced him with a cold stare. "Don't you dare laugh."

Her perceptiveness stopped him in his tracks. "I… I wasn't… going to… to laugh."

He couldn't believe it, he was actually stuttering. He hadn't stuttered in a long time, not since he was in grade school. The last girl to do that to him was ten year old Eva Smith in the fifth grade. Come to think of it, she was a lot like Emily: fiery, knew her own mind, and very pretty.

"Sorry," Emily mumbled, seemingly having realized she was being less then polite.

"That's ok," he replied, recovering. "Long night?"

Emily let out a sigh. "Yeah…"

That's all she said, making him curious as to what she was doing.

"Out on a date?" he wondered out loud.

She shook her head, actually blushing. "No… I was at home…"

_What could she have been doing at home that would make her blush?_ he asked himself.

"Oh ok… _in_ on a date then, gotcha," he answered his own question, considering the case closed.

"God Rossi, do you think all women do in their spare time is try to get themselves hitched?" Emily said, annoyed. "Obsessed much…"

He shrugged, totally indifferent.

"We do other things, you know…" she shot at him.

"Like what?"

She let out a huff before answering, "For your information, I was at home reading, all right. I just got the newest book in a series I've been reading and I finished it last night."

"Ok… ok," Rossi backed off. "I got it."

He started to walk away, having every intention of not coming back until happy, normal Emily returned. But something stopped him in his tracks and made him turn back around. He caught her watching his retreating back and she quickly looked away. He tried very hard not to smirk.

"Hey Emily," he questioned.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?" he sincerely asked.

"Like on a date?" she asked tentatively.

"Who's obsessed now?"

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Rossi let out a tired sigh. She had said yes, of course. And that had been the start of their lives together. He still to this day did not know exactly what had made him turn around, but he thanked whatever power there was everyday that he had. Because Emily was his life, his soul, and if he ever lost her he would… he would…

"Mr. Rossi?"

He practically jumped out of his seat, startled out of his gloomy thoughts by the even more gloomy tone of a man dressed in green scrubs. He moved to stand in front of the man, just noticing that he was flanked by Hotch and Morgan, there to lend their strength. And he was glad, from the looks of the man, he might need it.

"Yes… that's me…" Rossi spoke hesitantly. "How is she doctor? How's my wife?"

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Well that's if for now. Each chapter is going to be about this length. It makes for easy updating. I'll probably update this tomorrow. I'm going to try for a chapter a day, so that I don't miss the Christmas Day deadline.

I hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Hello again! I hope everyone is enjoying this. Please R&R! Thanks! Oh and just to make things easier, I'm separating flashbacks from present time with two line breaks and a set of four 8's.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 2:**

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"I'm Doctor Kaminski, one of the four doctors working on your wife," the Doctor informed. "Mrs. Rossi is still in surgery, I've been sent out to give you an update."

Rossi cringed to hear Emily being referred to as Mrs. Rossi. When they'd married it had been a no brainer for her to keep her maiden name. Emily had worked hard to make the Prentiss name known in the Bureau and he had been proud to have her as his wife with or without the name change.

"And…" he heard Morgan prompt the Doctor impatiently, when he had paused.

"Six bullets to different regions of the body is no easy task, I'm afraid," he said gravely. "We've managed to locate and remove the bullet that went through her right shoulder. That was the least grave of the injuries. But I'm afraid we had to remove her right kidney. The bullet just left too much damage for it to be repaired."

"Can a person survive with one kidney?" Hotch wanted to know.

"Yes, but right now that is not our main concern. One bullet hit the femoral artery in her left leg. She's lost a lot of blood as a result. We're giving her transfusions, but until we can mend the artery it's touch and go," he paused. "That and the bullet that went through her right lung, causing it to collapse—"

"Doctor," Rossi cut him off, his head spinning with all the gruesome information. He had to stop the listing of where the bullets hit before he got sick. "All I need to know is will she be all right?"

Doctor Kaminski continued to frown. "I'm sorry Mr. Rossi, but it can go either way at this moment…"

"Then come back out here when you know it will go the right way," he said quietly, but vehemently.

The Doctor seemed to understand and nodded once, leaving without another word.

"Dave…" Hotch began calmly. "You should have let the man finish… he may have had options that you need to consider…"

"Options, what options?" he burst out. "There's only one option at this moment that I'll consider and that's Emily coming back to me."

Morgan let out a breath. "She will, Rossi, she will. Em's a fighter, always has been, always will be…"

Rossi began to pace the room once again, going from the window to briefly glance out at the building snowstorm—Emily would have loved it, everything covered with a soft layer of white fuzz—to the plastic Christmas tree set up in a corner of the room. He'd forgotten it was Christmastime. He should have been setting up mistletoe all around the house, seeing how many places he could catch Emily for a kiss, not sitting in a hospital wondering if he'd ever kiss her again…

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Rossi glanced around the break-room door, scoping out the bullpen early that Monday morning. He was looking for one person in particular, of course. The woman he'd had a great time with the previous Monday, when he'd asked her out to dinner. It had been a week since they'd first went out, and he'd only seen her socially once more after that, when he'd decided to get a drink after flying in late from a case in Atlanta.

Both times, being with her was completely amazing. They'd talked long into the night, causing them both to be a little grouchy the next day at work. But it had been worth it. Rossi knew Emily, but he found that he was learning things about her that he'd never known. Like she had been secretly addicted to teen vampire romance fiction since she was a teenager and couldn't seem to break the habit now that she was an adult. In fact, he was able to get the name and title of the book that she'd been reading the previous week: Spirit Bound, by Richelle Mead. And he intended to give it a shot, for relating purposes, of course.

Yes, their two outings were great, almost perfect. Almost, because they never ended with a kiss. And he intended to remedy that today.

He glanced down into his hand, grinning mischievously at the little green plant in his hand. He was going to put it up just inside the break-room door. But he wanted to wait until he was sure Emily would be the one walking in and not someone like Garcia or the new agent, what was her name, something Mackenzie.

Rossi looked out the door again and this time grinned in anticipation as he saw Emily coming into the bullpen through the clear glass doors. He watched her first make her way to her desk, where she threw her purse and briefcase onto it. She was clearly in a Monday morning mood. And then she started towards him, like he knew she would, needing her morning cup of Bureau coffee to jolt her into awake-ness.

She was watching the path, not her destination, clearly iffy on her coordination skills. So she did not notice him until she was right in front of him and he was blocking the doorway.

"Morning Emily," he said cheerfully, purposely leaving out the good part; he didn't want to be turned into a stuttering fool again.

"Morning Dave," she said cordially, meeting his eyes briefly, than looking away as if she was looking for a way passed him.

She moved to his right and he mimicked her, then to her left, and he followed. She let out a breath before pronouncing annoyed, "Dave, I need you to get out of my way."

"Sorry," he replied, letting her pass.

He turned around to watch her, while she made her steaming cup. Finally, she turned back around, cup in hand to find him still standing there staring ah her.

"What?" she asked frowning.

"Nothing," he replied, amused. He moved his gaze upwards and waited.

"Rossi," she said unhappily. 'What are you looking—"

She stopped mid-sentence and he glanced at her to see she was staring at the mistletoe he'd quickly hung up.

"Mistletoe, seriously?" she asked when recovered.

"'Tis the season," he replied, voice more hopeful then he'd intended.

She was still staring at him hard, scrutinizing him and he wondered if maybe the mistletoe was a mistake. Maybe she did not appreciate his attempt at coercing a kiss out of her. Maybe she did not want to kiss him at all.

And that was when it happened, the kiss he'd been dreaming about for months now. It happened so quickly, one minute she was standing there frowning at him and the next he was pressing his lips against hers in a short, soft kiss.

She pulled back first and he was hit by her dazzling smile.

"Merry Christmas Dave," she murmured, as she left him standing there.

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"Rossi!" a high strong voice exclaimed.

He didn't have time to register completely, who it was who'd called out to him. Because the next thing he knew he was being tackled rather forcefully, and if it wasn't for Morgan's steadying arm he and his attacker may have fallen backwards.

He glanced down to see a head of red hair buried in his chest and instantly realized friend and technical analyst Penelope Garcia had arrived on scene.

"I am so sorry," she was saying into his chest, voice muffled.

"Penelope," he tried to get her attention, as she continued to rant incoherently, "Penelope…"

She pulled back from him, just enough to look up at his face, not letting go of her death grip of a hug, though. She stared up at him with tear stained cheeks.

"How is she?" she asked more demurely.

He frowned, shaking his head. He couldn't say the words out loud… that it didn't look good, that Emily might… that she might…

"Penelope," Derek was saying gently, noticing, before Rossi, the fresh tears in the redhead's eyes. "Come here…"

She let go of Rossi only to hold onto Morgan. She hugged him fiercely, and Rossi could hear her muffled cries. Derek led their friend to a chair, still holding her tight. He watched as Hotch took the chair on her other side, patting her hand, hoping to soothe her.

He was glad that his two friends had someone else to worry about for the moment. He just wanted to be left to his thoughts and prayers. He just wanted Emily to come back to him.

"Oh… Rossi," Garcia murmured, after about ten minutes of sombre silence. "I almost forgot… Reid and JJ have James and Georgia with them. They said not to worry… they'll look after them for as long as you need."

The kids! How could he forget their kids?

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That's it for now. I hope everyone is liking this. I tried my best with the medical stuff. I'm not a doctor, but I tried to research the injuries, so I hope it's believable.

Thanks to my two reviewers: **ilovetvalot and p95000**. And thanks to everyone who's alerted this fic!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hello again. Sorry for the break in between updates; got home yesterday and just crashed. But I'm m€uch better today, so here you are, the latest chapter. Thanks for the great response!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 3:**

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James Edward Rossi, and Georgia May Rossi, 4 and 3 years old respectively were the other part of his world. His children and Emily were two halves of his entity. Without any of them he couldn't ever be a complete person. It showed how worried he was, how completely devastated he was by this turn of events, that he'd not thought of his own children. What kind of father was he?

"Don't," he heard Hotch say forcefully.

"Don't what?" Rossi replied, looking at him, startled.

"Don't even think that you're a horrible person, a horrible dad," Hotch elaborated. "Because you're not. Right now your wife is fighting for her life. There's only so much worry you can take…"

Hotch was trying to make him feel better. But there was no excuse for forgetting to ensure your own children's safety. No matter what.

"That's why we're here," Morgan was saying.

"Yeah, to worry for you…." Garcia added.

"Still…" Rossi started.

Hotch stood up. "I'll go give JJ a call, see how they're all doing, all right?"

Rossi nodded, relieved to have his friends there for him. Hotch passed by him giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"What about you Penelope?" Rossi wanted to know. "Are you all right being here? I know you've got Liam to think about."

She gave him a kind look, remembering her four month old baby. "Liam's fine. Kevin can take care of him for a couple of hours without me. Right now I need to be here."

"Thank you," Rossi murmured, grateful.

She stood up and took hold of his hand. "How're you holding up? You need anything, coffee… food… anything?"

All he needed was Emily to be better. All he wanted was for her to come out of surgery and tease him about how worried he was. But he could see that that was not the answer Garcia was looking for. And he realized she needed to keep busy for fear of breaking down.

He could feel the beginnings of tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He looked away, blinking them back. He needed to remain strong.

"Ah… coffee would be good," he said, his voice gruff with emotion.

He felt her hand give his a squeeze before letting go. "I'm on it," she said purposely.

She left the room, leaving him all alone with Derek. He glanced at the younger man. Derek wore a tortured look on his face, as he stared off into space. He took the seat next to the man. And after a minute more of silence he finally spoke.

"What happened Derek?" he asked once again, this time calmly, more resigned.

Derek let out a sigh, he leaned forward, elbows on knees, head in hands. "We had him cornered in an abandoned warehouse. Emily was first on scene. Reid and I got there not too long after. But she was so stubborn… she was supposed to wait for back up… but, you know how stubborn she can be…"

Rossi nodded. He definitely did.

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"She's my mother Dave!" Emily cried out furiously.

"I know that Emily," he replied, just as tersely. "But that doesn't mean she can just set up a dinner date with you and Derek and I'm going to be happy about it."

She gave him a withering glare. "It's not a date. Derek's my friend, yours too. And my mother's going to be there too, for god's sake."

"Don't care," he replied, realizing he sounded childish.

He'd met the famous ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss many times before. They had always been polite to each other. Until the last time, that is.

After two weeks of dating Emily, she had asked him to spend Christmas Day with her and her mother at one of her parties. He'd agreed. Only to have Elizabeth corner him alone to tell him how she felt about him dating her daughter. Her exact words had been: "My young, beautiful daughter should not be with a washed up agent like you. And she'll realize it soon enough."

Emily had, of course, overhead the entire exchange, and she'd gotten angry. She'd put her mother in her place and Elizabeth had grudgingly apologized. But that didn't mean she didn't try to sabotage their relationship in other more discreet ways. Emily was just being too stubborn, not seeing that this latest ploy with Derek was one of them.

"Dave, I care about you," Emily tried a new tactic. "We can go to your cabin another time. My mom wants me to spend New Years with her. She wants Derek there because he's my best friend, that's all."

He knew Emily saw Derek only as a friend, but he wasn't so sure that Derek's feelings for Emily were so innocent. He sometimes caught the man glancing her way wistfully.

"And I'd like you to be there too," Emily continued. "I can't celebrate the new year without my boyfriend. I love you."

"You love me?" he said in surprise.

She laughed. "Don't look so shocked… of course, I love you."

She leaned forward and gave him a kiss.

"I love you too…" he replied.

She smiled brightly at him, giving him another kiss.

Pulling back, she said, "So you'll come with me to mother's house on new years?"

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Yep, she was stubborn. She'd gotten her way in the end. And there first new years together wasn't the magical one he'd pictured. Instead, it was filled with Elizabeth trying to get her daughter alone with Derek at every turn.

"Why aren't you married yet?" Rossi blurted out.

Derek gave him a startled look and he realized he'd abruptly changed topics.

"I mean, you've had two great chances," Rossi elaborated, referring to Morgan's two long-time girlfriends over the past five years. "So why not?"

Morgan continued to look at him with wide eyes and then he looked away. "You know why, Rossi…"

Rossi just nodded. It was good to finally have it confirmed. It was also nice to know that Derek was a true friend, never acting on his feelings.

"All the good women are taken," Derek said, more lightly. "First Penelope, then JJ, and then Emily…" he trailed off sadly. "If… if anything happens to her… I'll… I'll never forgive myself… I didn't have her back… I didn't…"

Rossi wasn't surprised when the younger man's eyes filled up with tears right in front of him. Derek cared about Emily almost as much as he did.

He gave Derek's back a pat.

"Ah… excuse me," Derek said, quickly leaving the small waiting room.

Rossi let out a sigh. _Emily, you need to come out of this,_ he silently prayed, _because there's no other option. You'll be killing all of us…_

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Well that's it for now. I'll be updating tomorrow for sure.

Thanks to everyone who's alerting this story and putting it as a favourite. Also thanks for the reviews: **dustytiger; TML; HansonFanGermany; Chrissiemusa; tonnie2001969; hxchick; jessalynnGSR; ilovetvalot; and p9500.**

Thanks again!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hey all! Sorry for the slight delay in updating. It's just a busy time of the year for me, and I'm sure for all of you as well.

Anyways on with the show! Please R&R! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 4:**

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Rossi flipped open his phone and shut it, then flipped it open and shut it once again. The second he was all alone he'd flipped it open to find seven missed calls and even more texts. Most were from Hotch's home phone number. So, he assumed either Reid or JJ was calling him for instructions about the kids. One of JJ's texts had caught his attention, though:

_Kids are asking about Emily._

_They want to see her._

_-JJ_

Of course they wanted to see her. She was their mother. He wanted to see her too. But she was still in surgery. He didn't want to bring the kids just to wait in the waiting room. They were too young for that. No, they were far better off with JJ and Reid being entertained by their older friends Jack and Henry, and by being fascinated by baby Lexi.

But he was debating whether or not to call them. Hearing their voices would do him a lot of good, but he also didn't want to worry them. The debate continued in his head, as he shut the phone once again.

"Where is everyone?" Hotch asked, coming back into the room, taking a seat.

Rossi looked up at the man, as he took the seat beside him. "Penelope's getting some coffee. And Derek needed some time alone."

Hotch nodded in understanding. "I called JJ; the kids are asking for you and Emily. They know something's wrong."

"I know… I just can't bring them here," Rossi confessed. "Not yet… not without…"

… _hope_, he didn't say out loud. Because it had been two hours since the doctor's last update. They hadn't heard anything since. And the saying no news is good news wasn't doing a bit to comfort him.

"Who would have ever thought when I rejoined the BAU team that it would bring me to this point," Rossi spoke wistfully. "Married, with kids, to a co-worker."

Hotch let out an amused snort.

"What?" Rossi asked defensively.

"Are you kidding me? We all did," Hotch answered, laughing. "You're David Rossi, the man the Bureau's fraternizing rules were instated because of. Your first two wives were Bureau employees. We knew it was only a matter of time. We just didn't know Emily would be the one to fall for your 'charms.'"

Rossi let out a light chuckle. "Yeah I guess it was. But I never thought it would be Emily."

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He was super nervous and that was saying something. Only the most intense, unsure situations caused his nerves to become unsettled. And this was definitely one of them.

He looked across the table at the beautiful woman sitting across from him. She was telling a story about some awkward situation Reid had gotten into on the BAU's latest case. And he was trying his hardest to listen but her presence, her beauty tonight was taking his breath away. And he found himself studying her carefully, trying to commit every last detail that was Emily Prentiss to memory. From her long dark hair, with the fringe that she pushed out of her eyes every few minutes only for it to fall back into place, to the smile that had not left her face since the minute she'd opened her door and found him standing there.

"Dave… Dave," she was calling his name.

He shook himself out of his silent admiration session to see that she was considering him with an amused look on her face.

"You are not listening to a word I'm saying…" she told him.

She did not seem mad or put out, but he thought it would be best to apologize anyways. "I'm sorry Emily… I've just got a lot on my mind."

Her smile dimmed and she looked concerned. She leaned across the table to squeeze his hand. "Want to share…"

Realizing he'd worried her unnecessarily, he quickly amended himself. "Oh no… it's nothing bad. It's just…"

He trailed off. He stared at her, the woman he'd been dating steadily for almost a year, the woman he'd happily given up his long career for. Sure they'd had their issues, especially when he _had_ quit the BAU, but they'd gotten through it. And he was convinced he could only continue to love her more and more.

"Dave?" she asked quizzically. "What is it?"

He shook his head, smiling. "Like I said before, it's nothing bad," he paused. It was now or never. He moved out of his seat to kneel in front of her. Lifting his head to meet her gaze, he found she was staring at him with wide, amazed eyes. "Emily, I love you…"

He stopped, his nerves getting the best of him. It gave him enough time to take hold of her hands and for her to assure him that she loved him too.

It said something that out of the four times he'd proposed to someone, this was the first and only time that he'd felt this anxious and unsure about it. It told him he truly loved her.

"I… I love you and I can't imagine living in a world without you by my side. I need you with me always. Emily, you are my life and my love and I need you to marry me. Will you?"

Her eyes were shining, with unshed tears he realized. He hoped they were tears of joy. And for thirty more seconds she kept him in suspense. He was sure she would turn him down. Because, he might need her, desperately, but he knew Emily could always do better than an old guy like him.

"Yes…" she practically whispered, causing him to almost miss her response.

"Yes?" he asked for clarification.

"Yes!" she said more loudly. "I need you too!"

She threw her arms around him and he held onto his future wife tightly, never intending on letting her go.

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"I got lucky," he told Hotch next to him.

"We both did," Hotch agreed. "Who knew people could get second chances."

"I'm on my fourth," Rossi amended. "But you know what they say, 'fourth time is the charm.'"

They shared a brief laugh in the miserable circumstances. And once again he was grateful that his friends were surrounding him in this terrible time.

But the moment was interrupted when they were joined by Morgan and Garcia towing Doctor Kaminski.

Rossi and Hotch quickly stood up and the doctor didn't waste any time on pleasantries.

"She's out of surgery," the man said briskly. "We managed to remove all the bullets and repair the damage that was done to some major arteries. She's on a ventilator to help her breathe because of the collapsed lung."

"Is she going to be all right, doctor?" Rossi needed to know.

"We've done all that we can," Dr. Kaminski said forthright. "The rest, I'm afraid, is up to her. She's still in critical, but stable condition. But the next 48 hours should tell us more about her present condition."

Rossi let out the breath he'd been holding. He had been expecting the worst news possible. But he felt a slight sense of relief knowing that Emily still had a fighting chance. As the Doctor said, it was all up to her and he knew his Emily would fight every step of the way.

"Can we see her?" Rossi wanted to know.

"She's unconscious; she won't wake up for awhile yet. But I believe she can hear you," Dr. Kaminski responded kindly. "One at a time and not too long, all right?"

The entire group nodded.

As the doctor walked away it seemed they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Garcia came over and gave him a big hug, reminding him, "Em's a fighter Rossi, she'll get through this, you'll see."

She pulled back and the others nodded their agreement.

"Why don't you go see her?" Hotch suggested. "I'm sure she'd love to hear your voice."

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Well that's if for now. Some people have been asking when the kids would show up. They pop up in chapter 6. So, a couple chapters away.

Thanks for all the wonderful response I'm getting for this story. All the alerts and favoriting are awesome!

And thanks for the reviews: **dustytiger; p95000; and TML**.

I'll be updating soon! See you then!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hello again! I went to hockey game last night, my team won, yay! So that's my excuse for not updating yesterday. I'm going to try for updates every second day. I think that should still put me for a finish before Christmas. There are a total of 10 chapters, so we're half way through. Just wanted to say, hope everyone's enjoying this, because I'm really enjoying writing it. So please, R&R! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 5:**

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Rossi hovered in the halls of the intensive care floor. He'd been asked three times by three different nurses whether he was lost, needed assistance, or if he even belonged there. And all three times he had insisted that yes he was supposed to be there and no, he did not need help.

"Excuse me," a timid voice said, clearly directed his way.

Rossi let out an irritated sigh. "My wife was just admitted. Six gun shot wounds, ok… I just need a few minutes, all right?"

His request was met with silence and he glanced at the owner of the voice for the first time. She was young, mid-twenties at most, and she looked distraught. And he suddenly realized, looking at her face, that his tone had been less than friendly.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" the nurse stuttered, she was near tears as she rushed away.

Rossi let out another sigh. He hadn't meant to take his frustrations out on the young lady. He'd have to find her later to apologize. Emily would definitely make him if she ever found out.

But he knew that this was the final sign for him to get his butt into Emily's room. He'd stalled long enough. Of course he wanted to see her, but… he was afraid.

He was afraid for so many reasons. He was scared that he'd walk into that room and not recognize his wife. He was afraid that seeing her lying there would be the last… he didn't want to remember her that way. He would always remember her the way she was on the happiest day of their lives.

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"I need you to go check," Rossi ordered nervously.

"Check what?" Hotch asked; Rossi could see the amusement in his friend's eyes.

_His friend was laughing at him on a day like this?_

"I need you to go check if she's still in the building?" Rossi said gruffly.

_Why weren't people following? It wasn't like he was speaking in gibberish._

He heard Morgan's amused laughter coming from behind him. He turned around to face his groomsman, fixing him with a glare. That seemed to do the trick; Derek's face fell into a blank mask of no emotion.

"You want us to go check if Emily's still in the building?" Morgan asked disbelievingly.

"Why would you want us to do that?" Reid wanted to know. "Am I missing something?"

_Nope, no one was following him._

"I need you to check," he started pointedly, "because I'm pretty sure she's going to change her mind."

Hotch let out a disbelieving snort. "Why would she do that? Why would you even think that?"

"Because, it's me… I've been married three times," Rossi exclaimed. "All three of my ex's say I'm emotionally unavailable and not husband material. I'm sure Emily's realized this by now, she's much smarter than any of them."

"Dave, no offence to you, but your ex's…" Hotch interrupted, "… were all mentally unstable."

"Still…"

"Besides," Reid piped up, statistic voice on hand. "Statistically, grooms are more likely to leave brides at the altar."

"See," Morgan announced, amused expression back on his face. "You don't plan on leaving Emily at the altar, do you?"

"Is this supposed to be making me feel better?" Rossi asked dryly.

"Yes," Hotch answered bluntly. "Dave, Emily loves you… though, at the moment, I'm not sure why."

"I know, but…"

Morgan let out a mock, long-suffering sigh. "Let's go check guys; he's not going to believe us until we do."

"You two do that," Hotch replied. "I'll go see if we're ready to go."

They left him alone to his thoughts. He couldn't believe that this day had come. It had been a year for them, being in a relationship. He had known almost from the first day that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Emily, but he had waited seven months to pop the question. He hadn't wanted to scare her off. And she'd said yes. Now almost six months later, they were having their winter wonderland of a wedding.

A knock came at the door startling him out of his thoughts.

"Dave?"

_Emily? Uh oh, was she here to tell him in person that she was calling it off?_

He walked to the door, pressing his cheek against it.

"Emily, what are you doing here?"

"Let me in," she replied.

"No," he said instantly. "It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

"Did you really send Derek and Reid to see if I'm still here?" Emily asked derisively.

_Man, they weren't supposed to tell her…_

"Uh… no…" he tried, realizing it probably wasn't good luck lying on your wedding day.

"Dave, why would you think I'd run off?" Emily questioned, not buying it. "You do still want to marry me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," he said emphatically. "I just thought you'd come to your senses and realize you don't want me… I mean, why would you?"

"Why would I?" Emily asked incredulously. "Dave I love you. You make me laugh, you make me happy, and you get me through Monday's for God's sake. There's not a single doubt in my mind."

Her declaration warmed him. "Oh…" he said sheepishly.

"Now," she said, punctuating it with a bang on the door. "Stop being so insecure… it isn't you. And get out on that altar and I'll meet you there in ten, all right?"

Rossi smiled. She was right, he wasn't the insecure type. She knew him so well. "All right."

There was no reply for a good thirty seconds and he'd thought she'd left until he heard her add warmly, "I love you Dave."

"I love you too."

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When he finally met her at the altar all doubts and insecurities were instantly wiped from his mind and all he could think about was he got to spend the rest of his life with his best friend and love.

Rossi took a swipe at his tired eyes and was surprised to find his hands moist. He was tearing up, on the verge of a breakdown, he realized. But he couldn't let himself give in. Emily needed him to be strong.

He walked to the room number he was given and he stood outside of it for a minute readying himself. And then he pushed the door open and got the shock of the lifetime.

His beautiful, vibrant Emily lay there, motionless, looking not like herself at all. She was covered in tubes and cords; machines surrounded her, too. Doctor Kaminski had told him that she was on a ventilator and he knew that she would need blood because all the blood loss, hence the hanging bag. But he still wasn't prepared for this.

"Oh Emily…" Rossi murmured. He walked quickly to her side. He took in her pale color and felt sick. Where was his bright, youthful wife? She was washed away, buried under all the machines. This wasn't right.

He took hold of her hand, still watching her. Despite the machines, the tubes, the cords, and her pale color, he could almost believe that she might just be sleeping. But then he'd hear the beep of the machine that was monitoring her heart and he'd be brought back to reality.

"Emily, sweetheart, can you hear me? I'm here honey," Dave said in a soothing voice. "It's Dave, I'm here for you."

He paused. There was no response, of course. He knew there wouldn't be, the doctor's said she'd be unconscious for a while yet, while she healed. But he was still disappointed.

He let out a sigh. "Emily, I need you to get better, ok. You don't have a choice. You _must _get better. I know you hate it when you don't get a choice, but I'm sorry, you just don't. You've got to come back to me, ok. I need you, the kids need you…"

_The kids… James and Georgia… was it time to call them?_

"Emily…" he wanted to ask her which was ridiculous. "I'm going to bring the kids… they want to see you, all right? They love you…"

Nothing.

Another sigh. He turned away from the bed and pulled out his cell phone. He dialled Hotch's home phone number.

"Hello?" he heard JJ's voice.

"JJ?" he replied. "It's me."

"Dave," she said in surprise. "How's Emily?"

"I need you and Reid to bring James and Georgia here, can you do that?"

"Yeah sure…" she said quickly. "We'll be there right away."

"Good," he simply said. He hung up the phone before more questions came. He was sure one of his friends would update her and Reid when they got there.

He hoped they hurried. Seeing their children was probably the only thing that would cheer him up. And maybe, just maybe, hearing their voices would do Emily some good too…

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Well that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!

And thanks to everyone who's been reviewing: **TML; kdzl; p95000; Chrissemusa; dustytiger; rjwritergirl; and kbert1961.**

I really appreciate all the feedback I'm getting! You guys are awesome!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Hello! Here's another chapter! Hope you enjoy! Please R&R! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 6:**

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Now that Rossi was in the room with Emily he felt very reluctant to leave her side. But he knew he had to, at least for a bit. He had to speak with James and Georgia before he brought them in to see her. He needed to prepare them in seeing their on-the-go-mom lying there so still.

Rossi let go of Emily's hand half-heartedly. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be right back," he whispered. There was no response and he let out a sigh.

Giving her one more look, he headed for the exit. All things considered, he was pretty eager to see his kids. He missed them; going a day without seeing them was a day too long.

He was lucky; because he'd retired from the BAU, he got to see his children all the time. Emily, being a senior member of the BAU, was away a lot, something he totally understood. It tore Emily in two, but he always insisted that he knew what she was doing and why. And he spent every day with this kids making sure they knew that _both_ their parents loved them.

He made his way down to the waiting room. He didn't enter fully; he chose to hang back in the doorway. He'd spotted his two lovely kids being entertained with a 'magic' trick by their Uncle Spencer.

He hung back just enjoying the sight. James was eagerly watching as Reid mixed different powders and liquids into a little canister, really wanting to jump in and take over. Emily always said James was the spitting image of him, looks and personality, but he always insisted that he had Emily's expressive eyes.

Georgia was hanging back a bit, clinging to Henry's side; the older boy had an arm around his tiny daughter. There was an age difference of almost four years between the two, but Rossi already felt the need to watch out for his little girl. Georgia was a mix of both mother and father and as a result she was a tiny dark haired beauty.

"It's ok, Gia," Henry was telling the little girl; it was the nickname the boys started using for Georgia a long time ago. "It's really cool."

Georgia smiled timidly, and having Henry's assurance, moved closer to the action. "What's gonna happen Uncle Spence?"

Reid smiled at the little girl. "You'll see…"

Even Jack, at the ripe age of eleven, got out of his seat next to his parents to watch the action.

"Ok guys, stand back," Reid told his assembled audience. He was definitely enjoying the moment.

He put the canister on the ground and started to count down. Rossi had seen the trick before, but he was sure the kids hadn't.

"Three, two, one…"

The canister went flying, causing the kids to squeal in delight. The adults in the room smiled at the children's happiness. And Rossi took this as his cue to enter.

"I'm pretty sure the nurses would frown upon this kind of thing, Reid," he said as he entered.

All heads turned towards him, but his eyes were solely on his children.

"Dad!" James exclaimed.

"Daddy," Georgia yelled.

Both ran towards him and he knelt down to catch them in hugs. "Hey there kiddos," he said affectionately, hugging both close. "I missed you so much…"

He felt a lot better having them in his arms. And he knew they would be just what the doctor ordered to make Emily feel better.

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Rossi walked past the bedroom going from the home office—where he was working on his latest book—to the kitchen to make some herbal tea for himself and his very pregnant wife.

But he stopped at the doorway to the master bedroom.

"Emily," Rossi said concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said from the spot on their bed, a smile on her face. But, Rossi knew every single one of her smiles and this was so not one of them. Plus, he'd caught a glimpse of her clutching her enlarged stomach and grimacing.

"Emily…" he scolded.

"I said nothings—" she stopped as she winced, clearly in pain.

He rushed to her side. "Emily!"

She took a couple of deep breaths. "—wrong."

"Emily, you're in labour," Rossi persisted.

"No, I'm not Dave," she denied. "I'm not due for another two weeks!"

"Emily, sweetheart, you're having contractions, aren't you?" Rossi chastised, amused at her denial.

"No." She shook her head. She grimaced and grabbed his hand. "No…"

_Ow,_ he thought as she squeezed his hand painfully. _Yeah right, she's not in labour._

"How far apart are they?" he asked, despite her vehement denial.

"I said," she started.

But then he did something he would never ever do for fear of getting body parts lopped off. He placed a finger over her mouth. She was so surprised by this turn of events, that he'd actually shushed her that she did not attempt to talk, even when he removed the finger.

He put both hands on her shoulders and leaned in close. "Emily," he started, calmly. "The baby is coming, not in two weeks, but _today_, ok. And that's a good thing. We get to see the little guy—"

"_Or girl,"_ she quickly cut in.

"—Or girl," he agreed, "today. We'll get to hold our baby, Emily."

Emily looked at him in wonder.

"So," he prompted.

"Every 10 minutes," she told him.

"That's cutting it close," Rossi nodded. "But we'll make it…"

And just make it, they did. It took thirty minutes to get to the hospital and then just four hours later their first baby, their first little boy, was born.

"He's absolutely beautiful," Emily whispered down at the little baby.

Rossi gazed down at the scrunched up, pink faced bundle and had to absolutely agree with her. His son was just amazing.

He tore his gaze from his baby boy to glance at his beautiful wife. "Emily," he said in surprise. "Why are you crying?"

She looked at him through teary eyes. "I'm just… I'm just so happy…"

He laughed and she joined in.

"What are we going to name him?" Emily asked blissfully.

"Hmm…" he wondered out loud.

They were silently pondering for thirty seconds when Emily blurted out, "James."

Rossi thought about it for a second, _James_ _Rossi, yeah it worked._

"James Edward Rossi," Rossi finished, and from the joyful smile on her face, Emily approved.

Emily turned back to the tiny, 6lb 7oz boy cradled in her arms. "Hey there James," Emily whispered. "Do you like your name?"

He watched her place a kiss on James' forehead and just fell in love all over again.

He let out a sigh, loving his life at the moment.

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They'd loving having James so much that it wasn't long after that that they'd decided to try and have another. And then came Georgia.

He pulled away from the kids when they started to squirm, trying to get out of his grasp.

"Where's mom?" James wanted to know.

"I wanna see mommy," Georgia told him.

Rossi let out a sigh. "Let's sit for a second…" He looked up at his friends. "Can we uh… get all the kids some hot chocolate?"

"I'll go," JJ answered.

"I'll help too, mom," Henry piped up.

She took her son's hand and Jack joined in, they left the waiting room. Everyone else took a seat in a chair.

"Uh… James, Georgia, did Aunt JJ or Uncle Spencer tell you what happened?" He wanted to know what they knew first.

"Aunt JJ said mommy's in the hospital," Georgia answered uncertainly. "Is she having another baby?"

There were a few gasps around the room at Georgia's childlike innocence.

"No Gia," James replied, big-brother like. "Uncle Spencer said she was hurt."

Georgia's eyes began to tear up. "Daddy, is mommy hurt?"

"James, Georgia," Rossi began. "Mommy was at work yesterday… there was an accident… yes she was hurt."

"Is she ok?" James asked anxiously.

"She was hurt very badly," Rossi said slowly. He wanted to let them know the situation, but gently.

"I want…" Georgia started, tears streaming down her face. "I wanna see my mommy…"

Rossi pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "We'll go Gia…come on James… let's go see your mom."

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Well that's it for now. Hope everyone still likes this story. 4 more chapters to go!

Thanks for the reviews: **Fanatical Writer** _(thanks for taking the time to review every chapter!)_ **mummacass** _(I'll be sure to pass the memo along :) );_ **kbert1961; TML** _(yeah that part is one of my favourites);_ **Chrissiemusa; dustytiger** _(no drama fuzzies, yeah not in this chapter, or the next either, but hopefully you'll stick around for chapter 8 and 9);_ **and p95000.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Hello again. So, I know I said before that there are a total of 10 chapters. But somehow I messed up the chapter numbering and there are actually only 9. Yeah, so after this chapter there are only two more. But, they're really good ones, if that's any consolation…

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 7:**

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Rossi stood outside of Emily's hospital room door holding onto the little hands of each of his kids. He wasn't quite sure he'd prepared them enough. He wasn't sure that he _could_ prepare them enough.

He knelt down between the kids looking at each one. "James, Gia, I need you to remember that even though she looks… different, it's still your mommy. All right? She still loves you the exact same."

They both nodded, uncharacteristically solemn for children their age. He stood back up and let go of James' hand to push open the door. He led Georgia inside and James followed.

"Is… is that mom?" James asked, voice wavering.

Rossi looked down at his little boy and followed his gaze to Emily's prone body on the hospital bed. It had been a shock to him seeing her look so helpless, so hurt laying there motionless. He knew to his kids, Emily was the one who kissed the owies not got them herself.

"Yes," Rossi answered solemnly, using his free hand to give his son a comforting squeeze on the shoulder.

He heard a gasp from his left and felt Georgia turn to hug his leg. She was frightened and it broke his heart. He leaned down to grab his little girl, "Come here, Gia…"

She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. And he felt her cry into his shoulder. He rubbed her back trying to get her to calm down.

"Shh… shh… it's all right Gia… it's going to be all right," he murmured to her.

"What's wrong with mom?" James wanted to know. "What happened?"

He continued to try to get his baby girl calm, but answered, "You know your mom catches the bad guys', right?" James nodded. "She was chasing a bad man… but the bad man hurt her first…"

"Did Uncle Derek and Uncle Spence catch him?" James asked urgently. "Is he in jail?"

Rossi was relieved that he could give his son some good news. "Yes, he won't ever hurt anyone again."

Georgia pulled back, rubbing at her eyes; she gave him a stern look, so like her mother's. "Why'd he have to hurt _my_ mommy? She's a nice mommy."

Rossi's heart nearly broke. "I don't know sweetheart, I don't know."

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Rossi watched Emily laugh at something Derek was saying to her as the man leaned down next to his wife; Emily was the center of attention at the moment. He became amused when she swatted Derek away a second later.

"Here's the next one, Emily," JJ said from a spot close to Emily's right.

He continued to watch as Emily grabbed the gold packaged, flat box from JJ. Emily read the card out loud, "To Georgia, with love, Uncle Morgan."

Emily shot the younger man a warm smile, causing him to blush. Rossi had long come to terms with the man's 'crush' on his wife; knowing that Emily only had feelings of friendship helped.

Curious as to what Derek Morgan brought his new baby girl for the baby shower, Rossi took the vacated seat next to his wife and daughter. Unlike the other men on the team, Derek Morgan did not have a woman in his life at the moment that could steer him in the right direction.

As Emily finished unwrapping, and pulling the box's lid off, Rossi was half expecting to see Bob the Builder pyjamas—like he'd bought for James' first birthday last month. But instead, he was pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, wow," Emily breathed out, also seemingly pleased.

Pushing aside the tissue paper, she pulled out the shimmery white dress, clearly Georgia's size. She held it out to him so he could see it.

"Look at this Dave," Emily gushed, still pumped on hormones.

"It's beautiful," he agreed.

"This will be perfect for Georgia's christening," she murmured. "Thanks Derek."

She got up from her seat and gave the man a kiss on the cheek. Rossi had to laugh when Derek's expression turned to one of wonder. He definitely had to find the man a suitable girlfriend.

The rest of the present opening was put on hold when Henry rushed into the room. He had been playing with Jack in one of their spare bedrooms.

"Mommy, I wanna eat cake!" he demanded.

JJ laughed. "Not yet, hon," JJ was telling him. "Georgia's not done opening her presents yet."

JJ pointed towards the baby girl in her car seat, placed between him and Emily. The whole room watched the four year old as he turned to look at the baby.

"Georg…gia," he pronounced her name, unsure.

Emily and Rossi shot JJ a look.

"Sorry guys," JJ said amused. "Henry's learning to read a little at pre-school. They're teaching him to sound out words. Georgia is Georg-gia to him."

Rossi smiled and he heard Emily chuckle. They continued to watch as the little boy approached their little baby. Georgia was awake and squirming in her seat like infants were bound to do.

Rossi watched as the little boy looked at his daughter in wonder. He looked from Georgia to JJ, back and forth, as if unsure about something. He finally settled on looking at his mom.

"Mommy, -Gia's very pwetty," he said in awe.

The whole room had to chuckle at that, confusing Henry just a bit.

"Gia," Emily echoed, "I like that."

Rossi gave it a seconds thought. "Yeah me too."

But Henry wasn't finished yet. He leaned a little closer to the infant and everyone seemed to lean forward in their seats, not wanting to miss the potentially memorable moment.

"Gia," Henry said solemnly, and Rossi had to wonder, was the little boy about to propose? "Can we have cake now?"

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The birth of Georgia's nickname always made Rossi smile. The memory seemed to make him feel calmer. At least he knew that if anything were to happen to either of them, him or Emily, his children would be well loved and taken care of by their extended family and the kid's godparents, Morgan and JJ.

Rossi looked at the sad faces of his children. He needed to change the subject from bad guys to hope. He put Georgia down quickly and grabbed one of the room's chairs. He placed it next to Emily's bed side. And then he turned back to the kids.

"James, Gia," Rossi started. "I know mommy looks like she's sleeping but she can hear everything we're saying. She loves you, even though she can't wake up right now she wants you to know she loves you… and she wants to hear your voices too."

He picked up his two children one at a time, placing them both to stand in the chair, so they could better see that despite all the cords and machines it was still Emily, it was still their mother.

"What do we do, daddy?" James asked timidly.

Rossi smiled. "Talk to her. Tell her anything you want. She wants to hear your voices. It will make her feel better."

James nodded, understanding. Georgia continued to look at him with wide eyes. She'd get it in a minute.

"Mom," James started. "Mommy?"

Of course Emily didn't reply, Rossi knew that his children expected her to, even though he'd explained that she wouldn't.

"Go on, son," Rossi encouraged.

James did as told. "Mommy… uh… guess what, Jack and Henry got new bikes for Chris'mas. They're gonna teach me!"

At the lack of response, he looked to his father once again. "Remember, she can hear you even though she can't say anything."

Georgia seemed to catch on suddenly. "Mommy, Jack and Henry pwayed tag with me today. I beats them!"

Both children continued to tell their mom all the things they did while they were with JJ and Reid. It was nice. And he knew that Emily heard every word of it.

"Ok guys, let's let mommy rest now, ok?" Rossi cut them off. They'd been at it for twenty minutes. "Tell her you love her."

James nodded. "Get better, mommy. I wanna show you the new toy car Uncle Derek gots me, ok? I love you."

"Mommy, I loves you too!" Georgia said eagerly.

Rossi was sure his smile was going to crack his face, he was smiling so widely. God, he loved his kids.

"Give mommy a kiss," Rossi said. He lifted each child carefully to let them place a kiss on their mother's cheek.

Then they left the room to a chorus of 'bye mommy.'

They were standing next to the elevators waiting for one that would take them back to the floor where his friend's were waiting for them when Gia's face suddenly fell.

"Mommy's all by herself!" she exclaimed. "She's scared!"

"Yeah, dad, we can't leave her all by herself!" his son finished, quite indignant for a four year old.

Rossi looked at them, a dilemma on his hands. He couldn't stay with the kids all night here. They were children after all. But it was clear they wanted him to stay.

Out of nowhere, a nurse was suddenly kneeling in front of his kids. It was the same nurse he'd chewed out before.

"Your dad can stay with your mom," the nurse was saying to them. "Will that make you feel better?"

Both kids nodded. She stood up then and faced him. "I can set up a cot in the room so you can stay with your wife," she told him kindly.

"Thank you," Rossi answered, surprised by her kindness. "That would be nice."

She smiled politely. She started to turn away.

"Uh wait," he said quickly. She turned around. "Uh… I'm sorry about before… I was—"

She held up a hand. "No worries. I understand. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," he murmured.

"Come on kids, let's get back to the others," Rossi told them, all the while feeling warmed by the kind gesture.

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Well that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed!

Thanks for the great response! And thanks for the reviews: **mummacass; Fanatical Writer; dustytiger; miaa29; TML; kbert1961; and p95000.**

I'll be updating soon!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Hey all, I'm back again with the second to last chapter. I hope everyone's been enjoying this as much as I have. Please R&R! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 8:**

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Rossi sat back in the same arm chair he'd put his children into hours earlier. It was late, around 11 pm, and the ICU floor was dead silent. Time to try to get some sleep, for sure. But, he'd tried laying on the cot the kind nurse had set up for him; he just couldn't even get his eyes to close. Because when his eyes did close flashes of nightmare-ish what if scenarios popped into his head. So, he'd opted to sit in the chair by Emily's side, instead.

He leaned his head onto his propped up elbow, considering his wife carefully. She seemed to have more color to her face. But he had to wonder if that was his wishful thinking. He wasn't a pessimist by far, but he absolutely didn't believe in false optimism either. And Doctor Kaminski's comments didn't leave a lot to go either way.

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Rossi rode up the elevator back to the ICU ward floor after dropping his kids off with JJ and Hotch. He'd insisted everyone go home and that he'd call them all in the morning. Grudgingly, they all left.

The elevator door dinged open and he came face to face with Dr. Kaminski himself.

"Ah… Mr. Rossi," the doctor said. "I was just coming down to find you…"

Rossi stepped out of the elevator and stood next to the man. "Is there something wrong? Did something change?" he asked, alarmed.

Dr. Kaminski held up his hand. "No, no, sorry," he stated apologetically. "I didn't mean to worry you. I was just coming to tell you I just checked on your wife."

"And…" Rossi prompted. "How is she doing?"

The Doctor let out a sigh. "As well as can be expected for a woman who's been shot 6 times. Your wife is a fighter, Mr. Rossi. Her vitals are holding steady, no decline, no improvement, though."

"I see," Rossi commented, not the good news he'd wanted, but not bad either. "Thanks doctor."

He started to walk away when the Doctor stopped him. "For what it's worth Mr. Rossi, we here at the hospital are very thankful for what your wife, and people like her, do for us everyday."

Rossi gave the man a small smile. "Thank you."

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Rossi let out a sigh, to hell with false optimism; he was going to believe that she was getting better. There was no other option.

He leaned forward against the bed, putting his head on top. He took hold of her hand, just wanting to feel close to Emily.

"Emily," he murmured to her. "You take your time getting better. But you've got to come back to all of us, all right?"

He gave her hand a kiss to seal the deal and continued to rest his head there, just enjoying the feeling of being next to her.

Eventually, his eyes drifted closed of their own accord and what he found on the other side of his eye lids was quite different from the nightmare images of before.

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"Emily," he said sternly. "Where's our daughter? We're about to begin."

Rossi stared around the small room. He took one look at his wife and his face fell. He stared at the other people in the room, Lexi and the other bridesmaids; no one would meet his eyes. They all stared off into space, looking nervous.

"What happened?" Rossi demanded.

Emily looked at him grimly and then wordlessly handed him a single sheet of paper.

_Mom, Dad,_

_I'm so sorry. But I can't do this. I know you're going to be disappointed in me. I know, but I can't. I'm sorry… I just don't love Jack. I know I said I did…. But I don't, at least not in the husband/wife way._

_Dad, you tried to tell me, but I was too stubborn for my own good. I'm sorry I didn't listen. I do love Henry, more than you know. But, I'm sure he won't want me, not after this. Not after what I'm about to do to Jack._

_Don't worry about me. Worry about Jack and Aunt JJ and Uncle Hotch. I'm sure I won't be their favourite person in the world…_

_I'll be in Seattle… just… please, I need time._

_Love Gia._

Rossi folded up the note. He had known this was going to happen.

"Why are you smiling?" Emily demanded. "This is so not the time to be amused. Our daughter just skipped out on her own wedding!"

He continued to smile uncontrollably. "You're alive, we're all together and," he said simply, "you're alive…"

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Rossi was jerked out of his sleep abruptly. He had no clue what had woken him up; he thought he'd felt a touch on his cheek. He looked at Emily through groggy eyes. Nope, she was fast… asleep? He really hadn't expected anything else.

_Wow, what a dream,_ he thought to himself. It had been so real, so vivid. He knew it hadn't been, of course. But, still… he considered it very carefully. Even now he could tell that his daughter favoured Henry over Jack. So, why the hell was he dreaming about his daughter even considering marrying Jack?

He laughed at himself, suddenly. He was actually trying to decipher the situation in the dream. It was so absurd even giving it a passing thought. Still, there was one thing in the dream he did want to believe in: Emily, alive and well. And he was going to hold onto that belief.

He suddenly had the urge to tell Emily of his dream and their charmer of a daughter, because she'd obviously gotten it from her. And he did, he told her the entire thing, even how mad she seemed to be and how pleased he had been.

Rossi knew she could hear his voice, he knew it did her good to know her family was around her. He just hadn't known how much good it did until a moment later.

The hand he'd been holding suddenly twitched. Rossi nearly jumped out of his seat, when the twitch was followed by a squeeze. He looked up at his wife's face and got the shock of his life. Her eyes were fluttering.

"Emily?" he exclaimed. Her eyes continued to flutter. "Doctor! I need a doctor!"

His Emily was coming back to him. He knew it!

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Well that's it for now. I hope you all enjoyed his much happier chapter. One more to go after this. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks for all the reviews: **mummacass; p95000** _(thanks, I love writing the kids)_; **TML; kbert1961; Chrissiemusa** _(yeah that's one of my favourite lines too);_ **PrincessHotch; dustytiger; and xVampFanx.**


	9. Chapter 9: The Epilogue

**A/N:** Hello all! Well, we're at the last chapter. And I just wanted to say once again thanks to **ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969 **for setting up these great challenges every month. They really make you try something new. Also, if it wasn't for this challenge, I wouldn't have known what an awesome movie It's a Wonderful Life is, watched it specifically for this challenge.

Again this was written specifically for **flashpenguin**. Hopefully you enjoyed this, Merry Christmas.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 9: The Epilogue:**

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Rossi made his way around his spacious kitchen. The kitchen he and Emily had specifically looked for in every house they'd looked at when they had been newly married. They had told their exasperated real estate agent that they were looking for an enormous family style kitchen with room for state of the art appliances that was also open to the living room and dining room. It wasn't easy, it had taken their agent ten houses to get it right, but they finally got what they wanted.

Now, he was using the kitchen to make two cups of tea, one herbal, one Earl Grey. He grabbed hold of the mug handles and made his way up to the loft area of his house. The whole house had an open floor plan feel.

"Hey," he greeted, as he made his way over to the couches.

Emily reached out for a mug. "Gimme."

He gave her a chuckle. "What, no please, no thank you?" he joked.

"Please, my liege, may I have a cup of tea, I would be most grateful and appreciative," she said seriously.

He laughed out right, handing her a mug. She pulled it close to her face and cringed at the smelly brew.

"For that elaborate speech you should give me the other one," Emily prodded.

She gave him the look; wide eyes, sad down-turned mouth, completely adorable, and only used to manipulate.

Most of the time it worked. Not this time.

"No siree, Em, you need to drink that," he told her sternly. "All of it. You know it helps you get your strength back."

"My strength _is_ back," she argued. She started to get up off the couch, putting all her weight on her right leg, since the left was still healing. It took her more than normal to just simply get up off the couch. "_See…_"

She tried the look one more time, as she sat back down right away.

"Nice try," he said firmly, a smile on his face. "I _see_ you're still recovering. Drink up!"

"Fine," she said grudgingly. "But that's the last time I call you my liege."

He laughed again, taking a seat next to his wife. Despite her apparent annoyance with him, Emily scooted over so she was cuddled up next to him. He couldn't help it; he let out a happy, content sigh. So happy to have her back, alive and well.

"So what do you want to watch?" Emily asked him.

He smiled at her. "I recorded, 'It's a wonderful life,' for you," he informed.

"No way!" she exclaimed.

Since Emily had missed Christmas that year, obviously due to recovering from all her injuries, Rossi had decided to host a post-Christmas Christmas. And since all of his friends had missed out on the festivities, also due to their worry, they had joined in on the fun.

It's a Wonderful Life was Emily's favourite Christmas movie, though, after sitting with her through it on multiple occasions, Rossi began to believe that she really only loved it for the beginning theme music and story book credits, evidenced by her chatting constantly through most of the rest of it, but staying dead silent through the music.

"Thank you Dave," she murmured, pressing play.

He stayed silent, knowing that until the credits were over Emily wouldn't hear a word he said. So, instead, he watched her, taking in his beautiful wife's ecstatic smile.

The incident had taken its toll on her. She was much skinnier, her clothes hung off her body, and she was in a lot of pain, so moments like this were rare lately. She had to do physiotherapy four times a week to regain full function in her leg and build up her stamina. And it was going to be quite awhile before she was deemed fit for field work at the FBI. It was tough going this past month and it wasn't going to get any easier for a bit longer. But what Rossi told himself everyday and had Emily remind herself of everyday was that she was alive. Alive and reasonably well, to see their children grow up.

"I remember everything you said, you know," Emily was saying solemnly.

"Hmm…" Rossi snapped himself out of his thoughts. The song was apparently over.

"While I was out," Emily elaborated. "I remember everything you and the kids told me…"

Rossi gave her a surprised look. "Really?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

They went silent once again. Rossi remembered that day well, the day Emily finally seemed as if she as truly coming back to him.

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"So, Doctor," Rossi was saying to the man. "Tell me I'm not imagining things. Tell me, she's coming back to me."

"Dave," Hotch started, "Give the man a chance to speak."

Emily's eyes had fluttered open that night, and he knew she had squeezed his hand. He had frantically called for a doctor but had gotten a nurse instead.

It had been the middle of the night. There were doctors on call, but none were Emily's doctor. The nurse had checked Emily's vitals and said everything was the same. So, much to his chagrin, she had not called a doctor. She'd advised he go back to sleep until the morning when she was sure a doctor would come visit. He, of course, had stayed up all night, reminiscing, hoping to duplicate that same reaction.

"She squeezed my hand, doctor," Rossi ignored his friend, who'd also arrived that morning. "I know she did! And her eyes opened. It was only for a second, but she did."

"Mr. Rossi," Dr. Kaminski began. "I'm afraid both reactions could be the result of her nervous system uh… twitching. Like when you move about in your sleep."

"No," he said vehemently. "She was responding to what I was saying…"

"But, you yourself said you spoke to her all night," Dr. Kaminski reasoned. "Did she duplicate the response?"

Rossi deflated. "No."

"I'll check her vitals again, of course," Dr. Kaminski said sympathetically. "Maybe the nurse missed something."

Rossi nodded. He knew she had moved, but… He had talked to her all night and nothing. He'd spoken to her about all the happy memories they'd shared together. And nothing. Only when he had told her of the strange dream…

"I was telling her about a dream I had…" Rossi murmured.

"What kind of dream?" Hotch asked suspiciously.

Rossi shot the man a look. "Not that kind of dream!"

"What was it about?" Dr. Kaminski turned from the charts, humouring him.

Rossi hesitated. He gave Hotch a look. He knew it had been just a dream but his angel had been about to hurt Hotch's son terribly. "Uh… it was about our future."

"Hmm…" Dr. Kaminski murmured.

"What is it, doctor?" Hotch asked.

Both men turned to look at him standing by Emily's bed, holding a print out with squiggly lines drawn on it. "Well, it seems she had a spike in brain activity last night…"

"See, I told you," Rossi replied merrily.

Dr. Kaminski frowned. "Maybe, I'd still like to err on the side of caution. Your wife isn't brain dead, more like in a coma. For all we know, she was having an extra vivid dream last night too."

Whatever else the doctor kept saying fell on deaf ears. Emily was coming back to him, plain and simple.

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And she had. Weeks later, she woke up, groggy, still in pain, but awake nonetheless. She was going to have a future with their family it seemed.

"What do you remember?" he asked.

Emily let out a sigh; she ran two hands through her hair. "I remember… this is strange… but I remember you telling me about Gia… you were saying something about her leaving Jack at the altar?"

Rossi laughed. "Yeah, that's right. It was a dream I had. It gave me a pretty big shock."

"Oh, that makes sense…" Emily trailed off, unsurely.

"What is it?" he asked his wife of five years.

"I think… I think I had the same dream," Emily practically whispered.

He couldn't help it, his mouth dropped open. That was impossible, wasn't it? He looked at his wife, they locked eyes sharing a look, passing between it the question that they felt they couldn't ask out loud: _premonition?_ Their eyes held a moment longer until they both laughed out loud, shaking their heads.

"Nah…" Rossi said. "Gia's an angel."

"A dream's a dream," Emily added. "That's all."

The laugher died down and they looked at each other once again. Another uncertain look passing between them. Still…

"We'll watch out," Emily assured.

"Any gravitating towards Jack, I'll nip it in the bud," Rossi agreed.

"That's right," Emily added. "No daughter of ours will be leaving any Hotchner men at the altar."

Another look, another round of laugher.

God, he loved his wife.

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**The end!**

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Well, that's it. I hope everyone enjoyed this little story. I had so much fun writing this. I wish all my stories would be this easy to write!

Thanks for all the lovely response I got for this. And thanks for all the reviews: **mummacass** _(you're wish… :) );_ **Fanatical Writer** _(I'm a big Rossi fan, but I wasn't sure I could write him as the main character of a story… I was glad for the challenge_); **TML** _(hope you enjoyed!);_ **HansonFanGermany** _(thanks for taking the time to review all the chapters!)_; **p95000** (_I'm glad you it!)_; **Chrissiemusa** (_thanks so much!);_ and **dustytiger** _(yep happy ending, can't write a Christmas story with a sad ending… it's against the rules :) )._

And I just have one question for you all. What would you guys think about a sort of sequel to this, centering on the kids? It's an idea I've been throwing around since I introduced them into the story. Let me know!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!


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